Fire-escape



J. B. WETMOREQ FIRE ESCAPE.

Patented Apr. 19, 1898-.

J06 .B. WeTmor /NVEN7'O/? UNITED STATES PATENT OF ICE.

JOB B. WETMORE, OF WELLSBOROUGI-I, PENNSYLVANIA.

FIRE-ESCAPE.

SPECIFICATION forming part Of Letters Patent NO. 602,673, dated-Apri119, 1898.

Application filed November 29, 1897. Serial No. 660,071- (No model.)

To a whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JOB B. WETMORE, a citizen of the United States,residing at Wellsborough, in the county of Tioga and State ofPennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inFire-Escapes; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, andexact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilledin the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings, and to the figures of referencemarked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to certain new and useful improvements infire-escapes of that class wherein is employed a brake-controlled reelsuitably supported in the burning building and having wound on it astrip of flexible material for lowering the person or effects to besaved.

My object is to provide an apparatus that shall be economical inconstruction, simple and strong, easy and infallible of operation, andcapable of automatically'readjusting itself after one person hasdescended, so as to accommodate other persons. It is my experience thatmost of the escapes of the class in question have insufficient brakepower, and, moreover, most of them make no provision for more than onedescent. My aim is to obviate these objections, and to accomplish itIhave devised the construction and arrangement of parts illustrated inthe accompanying drawings, wherein Figure 1 is a general perspectiveview of my fire-escape as attached to a window-frame ready for use. Fig.2 is a detail view of a part of my improved brake. Fig. 3 is a sectionalview of the reel part proper transverse to the axis to show the interiormechanism for automatically rewinding the tape when it is once unwound;and Fig. 4 is another sectional view of the reel, taken radially,further illustrating the construction.

Where the same figures of reference are found in more than one view,they refer to the same parts.

Referring now to the drawings, 1 is a framework, of iron, suitablytrussed to make it strong. This frame is pivotally supported onpivot-bolts 2, fixed permanently to the inner ends of the fork 3 at 10.Fixed between the links, about midway of their length and at rightangles thereto, is the brake-lever 11. The forward end of thisbrake-lever 11 is perforated at 12 to furnish a guide for the tape 13,and to its extremity is fastened the tripline 14. The rear end of thebrake-lever is provided with a weight 15 to keep the band normally offthe reel, or a spring may be used as an equivalent of the weight.

The reel is made, preferably, of wood,though it may be made of stampedmetal, if desirable. In either case it is made with a circumferentialgroove, and with a circular cavity 15, Fig. 4, concentric with the pivot5, access to which is given by taking off the side of the reel 16. Inthis cavity a coiled spring 17 is mounted, the inner end being fastenedto the pivot 5, fixed immovable in the frame 3, and the outer end beingfastened to the peripheral wall of the cavity at 18.

19 is a bag or other device for securely holding the person or propertyduring the descent, and 20 a guide-rope fixed to the bag for regulatingthe descent from the ground. 4

The various partsof my invention being constructed and arranged asdescribed, their operation is as follows: The fire-escape being adjustedin position either permanently or for the special occasion, it is swungout of the window, as shown in Fig. 1, so as to allow free descent. Theresilience of the coiled spring 17 keeps the reel normally wound up. Theperson desiring to make the descent gets into the bag 19. It isnecessary to keep the triprope 14 in tight tension, so that the brakemay be kept in action to prevent a too-rapid descent. The rope may beheld either by the person making the descent or by another person on theground. It will be understood that the special construction of thebrake, as shown in Fig. 2, allows such a powerful leverage to be broughtto bear that the revolution of the reel can be regulated with precisionand certainty. As soon as the passenger alights on the ground and thetrip-rope is released the coiled spring 17, which has been wound upduring the descent, now causes the reel to wind up the tape 13 until thebag 19 again reaches the top. Thereupon another passenger may get intothe bag and descend, the operation being repeated as often as desired.

It will be seen that my escape is operative without the coiled spring;but it is preferable to have the spring in order to give opportunity forrepeated descents.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, is-

1. In a fire-escape, the combination, with a reel, a flexible tape woundthereon and a receptacle for a person or baggage at the free end of thetape, of a brake adapted to control the unwinding of the tape, saidbrake consisting of a friction-band pivoted at its upper end to thereel-frame, and loosely following the circumference of the reel proper;a pair of links whose lower ends are pivoted to the reel-frame and towhose upper ends said band is pivoted; a brake-lever fixed between thelinks midway of their length, and a trip-rope fastened to the free endof the brake-lever.

2. Afire-escape consisting of a reel, adapted to be swung to awindow-frame or other support; a band pivoted at its upper end to thereel-frame above the reel, loosely following the circumference of thereel; a pair of links whose lower ends are pivoted to the reel-framebelow the reel and to whose upper ends said band is pivoted; acounterbalanced brakelever fixed to the pair of links; a flexible tapewound on the reel; a receptacle for aperson or baggage, and a coiledspring located within the reel, adapted to wind up as the reel unwinds.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOB B. WVETMORE.

Witnesses:

GEo. S. WALKER, JEROME BOTTOM.

